Comfort is, obviously, all relative.
Standing at the bottom of Mt. Everest is more comfortable than the feeling you have about halfway up.
A five-star hotel is more comfortable than a perfectly functional Days Inn.
And standing in the pocket knowing that your receivers are going to be in the right place at the right time?
That’s more comfortable than getting sacked over 40 times.
And that’s what Christian Hackenberg is hoping for, and feels like he is getting in the weeks leading up into the season. The comfort in the offense and John Donovan’s system to make the plays he knows he can. It’s that so often talked about familiarity that comes with being in the same offense for two straight years. No more coaching changes, no more brand new playbooks. Just time to get better.
“I see Christian so much more relaxed and so much more confident right now as a player and as a leader because of that,” James Franklin said on Tuesday. “He’s really taken control of the offense and that side of the ball.”
Ask Hackenberg, and his appraisal of the situation is much more about what all 11 players are doing. He’s comfortable because so is his supporting cast. It’s a symbiotic relationship feeding off of the collective success of each part of the offense.
“I think the biggest thing is is they understand things more,” Hackenberg said of his no longer young receivers. “Last year at times you could see as a whole we were just kind of going through the motions, whether it be, you know, drops on my part or, you know, certain depths with routes. You can see a more concise focus on those type of things, on the small details, and then the understanding of coverages and how to defeat coverages with certain routes and certain leverages and what you have to do”
The details. Taking care of the little things so the big things take care of themselves. Sometimes a small detail is the difference between a first and fourth down. A win and loss. A field goal and a miss.
The best way to avoid those mistakes. Feeling comfortable and prepared. All of those things playing into what has built into a promising preseason hype for the Nittany Lions. It has been a long time since 10 wins were on the table even just in theory. A lot of that has to do with comfort.
And maybe just a little bit of fun a long the way.
“You only get to play college football once,” Hackenberg said. “So you might as well have fun with it. It’s a great experience, and you never get that type of environment again.”
“I’m ready to roll.”
